Defenders Vol 1 58
** ** ** Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * ** ** Other Characters: * * * * * ** ** ** ** *Marilyn. A waitress of the Felix Club. She claims to be from Towner, North Dakota. *Marc. Male archaeologist. *Sharon. Female archaeologist. * * * * * * * * * Theo Kojak * * * * * Races and Species: * * * * Locations: * ** *** **** *** ***Felix Club. Nightclub at the Upper East Side of Manhattan. * **A temple of the Agents of Fortune. * * Items: * * * * * * * * Vehicles: * Events: * | Notes = *Dollar Bill makes a reference to the horror film "The Mummy" (1932). It is a celebrated film, featuring a reanimated Egyptian mummy. In the film, an ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep is mummified while still alive, as punishment for sacrilege. The living mummy of Imhotep is revived in modern times. He tries to find a way to resurrect his long-dead lover, princess Ankh-es-en-amon, and locates a woman who may be her reincarnation. While the film was a standalone story, it has inspired several remakes with sequels of their own and various reinterpretations of the original tale. It is considered the foundation of an entire sub-genre of films focusing on living or re-animated mummies. *When seeing Eric Payne in his civilian clothes and identity, Valkyrie is able to see his other identity as Devil-Slayer. She also apparently sees his uniform, his own version of the Shadow Cloak, and even his aura. It is unclear how the Asgardian can know so much about the stranger. *As of this issue, Dollar Bill knows that his friend Val is Valkyrie. He starts being loosely affiliated with the Defenders and getting involved in their missions. He eventually publicizes their existence to the world, in a misguided attempt to improve the team's profile. *As of this issue, Dollar Bill knows that his new friend Dr. Robert Bruce "Bob" Banner and the Hulk are two versions of the same person. *Devil-Slayer briefly mentions that he is a veteran of the Vietnam War. He claims that his war service taught him how to bust an ambush. In fact, he is confident that he can bust any ambush. *When calling for police help, the owner of the Felix Club mentions police detective Theo Kojak. Kojak is a fictional character, the eponymous protagonist of the television series "Kojak" (1973-1978). In the series, Kojak is a lieutenant of the New York City Police Department. He was depicted as Greek American, incorruptible, and having a dark and cynical outlook in life. A major storyline of the series had Kojak trying to quit smoking, but unable to get rid of his oral fixation. So instead of smoking, he started using lollipops as a substitute. Sucking lollipops became the signature look of the character. *Two members of the Defenders are neither seen or mentioned in this issue: Hellcat and Nighthawk. *The Marvel Chronology Project, which covers character appearances, has the following information on the issue's characters: **Beast previously appeared in Ms. Marvel Vol 1 16 (April, 1978). He next appears in Doctor Strange Vol 2 29 (June, 1978). **Captain America previously appeared in Avengers Vol 1 168 (February, 1978). He next appears in Avengers Vol 1 170 (April, 1978). **Devil-Slayer previously appeared in Marvel Spotlight Vol 1 33 (April, 1977). **Dollar Bill previously appeared in Defenders Vol 1 54 (December, 1977). **The Hulk previously appeared in Incredible Hulk Vol 1 222 (April, 1978). **Iron Man previously appeared in Iron Man Vol 1 112 (July, 1978). He next appears in Doctor Strange Vol 2 29 (June, 1978). **Jack Norriss previously appeared in a flashback in Defenders Vol 1 54 (December, 1977). He next appears in Defenders Vol 1 87 (September, 1980). **Scarlet Witch previously appeared in Ms. Marvel Vol 1 16 (April, 1978). She next appears in Ms. Marvel Vol 1 18 (June, 1978). **Wong previously appeared in Ghost Rider Vol 2 30 (June, 1978). | Trivia = * The "Xenogenesis" story of Defenders #58-60 includes numerous tributes to the rock group Blue Oyster Cult. In this issue, there is a special dedication to BOC band member Eric Bloom in the credits listed on page 3. "Agents of Fortune" (the title for this issue's story as well as the name of Dr. Strange's adversary) is named after a 1979 album by the band. Vera Gemini, the name of the principle villain of the whole story, derives her name from a song, "the Revenge of Vera Gemini" from the same Lp. | Recommended = | Links = https://www.cbr.com/defenders-blue-oyster-cult-homage/ }}